Biological soil nutrient system

ABSTRACT

A biological soil nutrient system that combines beneficial soil fungi and bacteria in a growth promoting nutrient medium, embedded in an inorganic porous ceramic particle for direct delivery during soil aerification to the rhizosphere of adventitious plants, including sports turf, landscape and agricultural applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to biological soil treatment products whichimprove the soil biology of adventitious plants and a method fordelivery directly to the plant root systems.

2. Description of Related Art

Biological soil treatments are currently marketed in a dry powder orsolution for preparing soil beds prior to installation of sod, golfcourse greens and sports turf. The benefits of these biological soiltreatments are generally realized only when positioned under the sod orestablished turf, allowing the use of insecticides, herbicides andfungicides on the laid sod that will not affect the soil treatment.

However, use of biological soil treatments is limited in that once thesod/grass is established, there is no efficient way to reach the rootsto treat large areas, or to innoculate areas that did not receive aneffective amount of the biological soil treatment formula. In order toensure a sufficient amount, the tendency is to over-innoculate ratherthan under innoculate the soil in preparation for laying sod/turf,greatly increasing the expense of the soil treatment.

In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,441 entitled “Biological Product forSoil Improvement and Method of Application to Soil” issued Sep. 15,1992, discloses a soil treatment formula which includes adding anitrogen-fixing Azospirillum species of bacteria to the soil treatmentformulation and increasing the cellulosic content to feed the bacteria.In general, these soil treatment formulas are created by experimentationwith different bacteria, fungi and nutrients in varying concentrationsto determine which combination will work best with the desired planttype and whether used for planting from seed or sod. In particular,during golf course turf construction, on U.S. Golf Association (USGAsand based greens, there are inadequate levels of soil organisms, thisfact contributes to nutrient leaching and poor utilization of plantnutrients.

Currently, the different biological soil treatments are soldcommercially as a dry mixture and have a tendency to separate by sizeover time, essentially requiring greater amounts of the mixture be usedto ensure proper soil nutrient management. Examples of these mixturesinclude, Mycor Turf Saver (Plant Health Care, Pittsburgh, Pa.) and SoilInnoculums (Soil Life Co., Oregon City, Oreg.). These formulationsgenerally contain microbes, fungal spores, and organic nutrients for theplants as well as the developing fungi and bacteria. These dry soiltreatments are generally delivered to the soil prior to laying down sodor grass seed using a drop spreader with a tiller which generallyresults in a 10-15% loss of product during soil inoculation due to wind.Many vendors recommend immediately wetting the soil after inoculation toreduce the amount blown away. Biological soil treatment formulationswhen prepared in solution generally have a reduced shelf life andrequire adequate mixing to ensure delivery of the appropriateconcentration of the soil treatment.

The narrow region of soil that is directly influenced by the rootsecretions and associated with soil microorganism is defined as therhizosphere. In addition, the soil treatments containing microorganismsmay be undermined by nematodes and arthropods which feed on the soilbacteria and fungi and limit their effective lifespan. These predatorsare generally controlled with pesticides which selectively kill thenematodes and arthropods and allow the soil bacteria and fungi to formsymbiotic relationships with the plant and facilitate food, water andair usage by the plant's root systems. When the environment isconducive, a higher biological activity significantly reduces nutrientleaching, the majority of plant nutrients are made available to plantsvia these microorganisms.

Landscapers, greens keepers and sports grounds keepers look for the mostcost-effective way to maintain large acres of sports turf, grass andlandscapes. They search for the best methods for soil preparation priorto laying new turf and when a soil treatment fails, it is costly toreplace these entire areas of dead sod. Therefore, there is a need inthe industry to overcome the problem of delivery of biological soiltreatments to mature, stable lawns, sports turf and landscaping withoutdisturbing or replacing the sod surface. There is also a need for animproved system of direct delivery of biological soil treatments to therhizosphere of the root systems with minimal loss of product. Arhizosphere containing an appropriate mixture of biological soilnutrients promotes nourishment and growth of the root systems.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,165 entitled “Mycorrhizal Seed Pellets” issued Nov.5, 1985 (expired) utilized a soil treatment formulation containing theGlomus fungal species which is then embedded in peat moss with thedesired seed to form a seed pellet, however it does not include abeneficial bacteria in the formulation. The patent claims that peat mossis superior to clay or sand due to the moisture and nutrientrequirements of the seeds.

There are several ways to innoculate the soil with root treatments,including manual soil penetration methods to deliver the biological soiltreatments, automated soil penetration equipment or subterranean pipingsuch as an irrigation system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,866 entitled “Reactorfor Microorganisms and Feed Device Therefore” filed Sep. 5, 1995,discloses a device to take dry soil treatment components, mix withnutrients in a growth media connected to an irrigation system for directtreatment of the soil. However, these types of irrigation systems aremore conducive to agricultural crops and are not cost effective forsports arenas and golf courses.

Therefore, there exists a need in the grounds maintenance industry for abiological soil nutrient system which allows application prior to andafter sod, turf and greens installation. There also exists a need torapidly deliver such nutrient systems over large acres of golf greensand sports turf without a rapid turnaround time for their intended use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a biological soil treatment composition andmethod for manufacture of porous ceramic particles containing thebiological soil treatment composition. The invention also pertains to amethod for delivery of the treated porous ceramic particles to thedesired plant rhizosphere for successful soil treatment. Theseimprovements in soil nutrient management are facilitated by a biologicalsoil treatment composition, which primarily provides beneficial bacteriaand fungi. The microorganisms form symbiotic rhizomes on the rootssystem to facilitate food and water usage by the plant.

Second, carbohydrates and other food sources for the dormant bacteriaand fungi are included to increase the colony forming of the organisms.Third, a porous ceramic particle, which protects the biological soiltreatment from wind and water erosion and, due to its size, reduces lossof the soil treatment from the treated area. This protection has beenshown to facilitate the significant increase in biological activity ofthe microorganism.

And finally, the invention provides a delivery system, which directlyinjects the biological soil treatment system, into the rhizosphere ofthe root systems of newly laid sod, mature sports turf and landscapingareas, specifically, utilizing a soil aeration apparatus similar to theDryJect™ system (DryJect Manufacturing, LLC in Hatboro, Pa., wholelyowned by Profile Products, LLC.).

The biological soil treatment composition may be mixed with sand or soilin a dry form at up to one third by volume and delivered to the plantingsite as the growing medium for applications which may include golfcourse construction, installation of flower beds as well as treatment ofgrowing lawns, flower beds, shrubs and vegetable producing gardens. Thecomposition should also be considered for use where required to reducenutrient leaching from the soil profile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a biological soil treatment composition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 1. Biological SoilTreatment Composition

In an embodiment of a biological soil treatment containing the symbioticGlomus fungal species, the symbiotic Bacillus bacterial species and acarbohydrate food source 12 are combined in an effective concentrationwith a porous particle 10, wherein the target host is a plant rootsystem as illustrated in FIG. 1. In a variation of present embodiment,the porous particles are a porous ceramic particle. Suitable porousparticles include those commercially available as Profile Porous Ceramicparticles by Profile Products, LLC of Buffalo Grove, Ill. These porousceramic particles are clay-based montmorillonite particles mined fromBlue Mountain, Miss. and fired to 1000° C. to make a porous ceramicparticle. The Profile Porous Ceramic particles were originally developedto be an inorganic soil treatment to preserve water 14 and oxygen 16flow to plant root systems in easily compacted soil. In a refinement ofthe present embodiment, the particles porosity is from 60 to 90 volumepercent. In another variation, the particles porosity is from 64 to 85volume percent. They are generally dispensed in a bulk density of 945pounds per cubic yard.

However, due to the natural porosity of this clay-based ceramicparticle, when mixed with a biological soil treatment the dormantorganisms, nutrients, and growth media become embedded within the poresof the ceramic particle. In one variation, the microorganisms whencombined with the porous ceramic particles are mixed in a range ofapproximately 0.01%-20% by weight of porous ceramic particles. In arefinement of this embodiment, the microorganisms are combined with theporous ceramic particles in a range of approximately 0.10%-3.0% byweight of porous ceramic particles. The porous ceramic particles provideprotection to the microorganisms from wind, water erosion and increasesthe amount of biological soil treatment available to the plant rootsystems.

The biological soil treatment composition may comprise endomycorrhizialand ectomycorrhizial symbiotic fungi, a symbiotic bacteria andbeneficial nutrients for the soil, nutrients for the plants andnutrients for the biological species including a carbohydrate source, inparticular, a starch. The preferred biological soil treatmentcomposition contains endomycorrhizial fungi, specifically, Glomusintraradices, Glomus mosseae, Glomus aggregatum and Glomus etunicatum,or a mixture thereof. These species have the ability to attach to rootsystems in a symbiotic relationship or form spores and thus surviveduring a long winter. The preferred symbiotic soil bacteria from theBacillus species which are also spore formers include, Bacilluslicheniformis, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus oleronius, Bacilluspumilis, Marinibacillus marinus (formerly Bacillus marinus) andPaenibacillus lentimorbus (formerly Bacillus lentimorbus), or a mixturethereof.

The biological organisms may be grown separately, in organism-specificmedia, as to species Bacillus or Glomus or grown in generic mediapromoting growth for both the fungi and bacteria. The preferredembodiment may utilize organisms purchased in a liquid bath whichcontrols dormancy. Alternatively, these organisms may be purchased in adried, freeze dried or frozen state, mixed in the desired combinationand directly added to the biological soil treatment composition.

The composition also contains soil and plant macro-nutrients andmicro-nutrients 18 as well as biological nutrients to promote the growthand development of the fungi and bacteria. A carbohydrate is added tothe organism's liquid bath. The plant nutrients include plant hormones20, such as auxins and cytokinins. The soil/plant nutrients may includephosphorous, nitrogen and potassium. Other nutrients may also includeagents such as humic acid 22. These nutrients may be lost over time dueto improper fertilization. The micro-nutrients are chosen to promote arich environment for the root systems and these choices must be balancedwith an environment favorable to the biological organisms. Althoughother components may be included, a preferred biological soil treatmentcomposition is listed in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Biological Soil Nutrient Composition Ingredients Glomus speciesBacillus species Soil/Plant Macro-Nutrients: Phosphorous, nitrogen,calcium, magnesium, sulfur and/or potassium; and plant hormones,including auxins and cytokinins Soil/Plant Micro-Nutrients: Manganese,iron, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum and/or chlorine BiologicalNutrients: Carbohydrates, i.e. starch Other Nutrients: Biostimulants,including Humic acid

The biological soil treatment composition is used to impregnate theporous ceramic particle 10, which contain pores and channels which willprovide a natural biological environment for the delivery anddevelopment of the microorganisms.

The porous ceramic particle 10 provides a delivery vehicle for optimumplacement of the microorganisms close to the root system and due to itssize retains its location in the soil. This method of root treatment issuperior to soil treatment compositions commercially available aspowders and sprays, which may be easily diluted and washed deeper intothe soil away from the root systems.

2. Method of Manufacture

The preferred method of preparation is by spraying the porous particleswith the biological soil treatment composition. The particles have azero to 4% moisture content, which promotes absorption of the soiltreatment composition into the particle pore space. The maximum particlemoisture content is 10% to ensure the organisms remain dormant. Moisturecontent greater than 14% is required to activate the growth cycle of thedormant organisms. The clay-based porous ceramic particles or otherporous particles may be processed by treatment with the biological soilcomposition to form a biological soil nutrient system. Once thebiological soil nutrient system is mixed with soil and hydrated themicroorganisms become active. Other porous particles include perlite,vermiculite or other particles containing pore spaces capable of holdingboth water and air. The treated particles may then be stored dry under awide range of temperatures up to 100° F. packaged in bags of 5 to 50pounds each, or as required for commercial use.

The containers are preferably sealed to reduce personnel coming incontact with spores and microorganisms when handling the materials. USDAlabeling will be determined by species and MSDS recommendations.

3. Method of Delivery of Biological Soil Nutrient System

In the field of soil biology, aeration of the soil is necessary forsuccessful growth of plants by ensuring the root systems have adequateaccess to air and water. The grounds maintenance industry utilizedifferent types of equipment to promote aeration of the soil. Anindustry leader in the field of grounds maintenance developed theDryJect™ system which is manufactured by DryJect Manufacturing, LLC inHatboro, Pa., a Profile Products, LLC company. This hydro injectionsystem is utilized to relieve soil compaction which stifles root systemsand reduce standing water on the surface of the lawn and/or turf. TheDryJect™ equipment uses water to fracture the soil with the capabilityof simultaneously injecting large volumes of dry fertilizers, inorganicsoil treatments and pesticides that allow golf courses, and similarsurfaces, to be usable in one hour after treatment.

In a preferred embodiment, the biological soil nutrient system isdelivered to the soil by a hydro injection system that utilizes water toproduce a high pressure aeration hole approximately ¼ by ½ inch wide andfrom 2-10 inches deep depending the setting and depth of root system inthe soil. The penetrating force of the hydro injection system allows theinsertion of the nutrients to the root system. The aeration is verytemporary and the aeration holes close after a short time. The deliverysystem is currently available for use with the inorganic porous ceramicparticles but the new use for the particles as a delivery vehicle forthe biological soil nutrient system will revolutionize turf and lawnmaintenance as well as enhance other agricultural soil nutrientprocesses.

The treatment area is prepared for aeration and the equipment iscalibrated to the appropriate depth of the target root system. Theamount of biological soil nutrient system material required iscalculated as 50 lbs to 250 lbs per 1,000 square feet (sq. ft.). Thehydro injection system is loaded with the amount of biological soilnutrient system for the treatment area and initiates delivery to thesoil. The use of a hydro injection system is the preferred embodimentfor delivery of the biological soil nutrient system.

Another embodiment of the delivery method, is a manual method ofdelivery using a spiked mechanism to produce the aeration holes. Thebiological soil nutrient system is placed into the holes by rakingmanually and is an effective method with smaller areas such as gardensand smaller lawns.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A biological soil nutrient system comprising: at least one variety ofsymbiotic microorganisms; and a plurality of porous particles havingpores, the particles containing at least a portion of the symbioticmicroorganisms within the pores, wherein the biological soil nutrientsystem has a plant root system as a target host.
 2. The biological soilnutrient system of claim 1, further comprising a component selected fromthe group consisting of soil nutrients, plant nutrients, andcombinations thereof.
 3. The biological soil nutrient system of claim 2wherein the plant nutrient comprises a component selected from the groupconsisting of macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, plant hormones, othernutrients, humic acid, and combinations thereof.
 4. The biological soilnutrient system of claim 1 further comprising ingredients thatfacilitate absorption and adherence of soil and plant nutrients withinthe biological soil nutrient system.
 5. The biological soil nutrientsystem of claim 1, further comprising at least one nutrient for thesymbiotic microorganisms.
 6. The biological soil nutrient system ofclaim 5, wherein the at least one nutrient comprises humic acid.
 7. Thebiological soil nutrient system of claim 5, wherein the at least onenutrient comprises a carbohydrate source.
 8. The biological soilnutrient system of claim 1, wherein the at least one variety ofsymbiotic microorganisms comprises microorganisms selected from thegroup consisting of symbiotic fungi, symbiotic bacteria, andcombinations thereof.
 9. The biological soil nutrient system of claim 1,wherein the at least one variety of symbiotic microorganisms comprisesmicroorganisms selected from the group consisting of Glomus species offungi, the Bacillus species of bacteria, and combinations thereof. 10.The biological soil nutrient system of claim 1, adapted for delivery tountreated land surfaces prior to the laying of sod.
 11. The biologicalsoil nutrient system of claim 10, adapted for delivery to land surfacestreated with pesticides and fungicides.
 12. The biological soil nutrientsystem of claim 10, adapted for delivery to land surfaces bearing matureplant systems.
 13. The biological soil nutrient system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of porous particles comprises clay-based porousceramic particles.
 14. The biological soil nutrient system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of porous particles comprises vermiculiteparticles.
 15. The biological soil nutrient system of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of porous particles comprises perlite particles.
 16. Thebiological soil nutrient system of claim 1, wherein at least a portionof the plurality of porous particles have a pore space capable ofretaining both water and air.
 17. A process for preparing a biologicalsoil nutrient system, the biological soil nutrient system comprising: aplurality of porous particles; and a mixture including at least onesymbiotic microorganism and a carbohydrate nutrient source; the processcomprising: a) contacting the plurality of porous particles with themixture to form the biological soil nutrient system.
 18. The process ofclaim 17, wherein the mixture further includes biological, soil andplant nutrients.
 19. The process of claim 18, wherein the plantnutrients comprise a component selected from the group consisting ofmacro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, plant hormones, other nutrients, humicacid, and combinations thereof.
 20. The process of claim 18, wherein thebiological soil nutrient system further comprising additionalingredients that facilitate absorption and adherence of the soil andplant nutrients within the biological soil nutrient system.
 21. Aprocess for delivering a biological soil nutrient system, the biologicalsoil nutrient system comprising: a plurality of porous particles; and amixture including at least one symbiotic microorganism and acarbohydrate nutrient source; the process comprising: a) contacting soilwith the biological soil nutrient system.
 22. The process of claim 21wherein step a) comprises manually injecting the biological soilnutrient system into the soil proximate the rhizosphere of a plant. 23.The process of claim 21, wherein step a) is performed by an apparatuscomprising: an automatic system for perforation of the land surfaceutilizing a water based injection system to form a hole; and anautomatic delivery system for insertion of the biological soil nutrientsystem into the hole formed by the automatic system for perforation ofthe land, the delivery system including a component that facilitates theadjustment of the depth to which the hole is made by the water basedinjection system.